Butterfly Pea is an ancient Thai herbal plant. Its flower has three different colors white, blue, and purple. Not only beautiful, Butterfly Pea first gained its reputation as a powerful hair strengthener & skin conditioner in the traditional Thai remedies. Leaves, flowers, and roots are all used as medicinal herbs.

1. In Southeast Asia the flower is used as a natural food colouring.

2. In Malay cooking, an aqueous extract is used to colour glutinous rice for kuih ketan (also known as pulut tai tai or pulut tekan in Peranakan/Nyonya cooking) and in nyonya chang.

3. In Kelantan, east part of Malaysia, by adding a few buds of this flower in a pot while cooking white rice will add bluish tint on the rice which is served with other side dishes and such meal is called nasi kerabu.

4. In Thailand, a syrupy blue drink is made called nam dok anchan , it is sometimes consumed with a drop of sweet lime juice to increase acidity and turn the juice into pink-purple.

5. In Burmese and Thai cuisines, the flowers are also dipped in batter and fried.

6. Butterfly pea flower tea is made from the ternatea flowers and dried lemongrass and changes color depending on what is added to the liquid, with lemon juice turning it purple.